The son of an Oscar-winning songwriter was charged on Friday over the death of his fashion designer girlfriend in an exclusive hotel.

The body of Peruvian-born Sylvie Cachay was found on Thursday, half-clothed in an overflowing bath in a New York hotel where David and Victoria Beckham once stayed.

Nicholas Brooks (24), was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder and second-degree strangulation at Manhattan's Soho House hotel.

He had been at a police precinct for more than a day and was cooperating with investigators, who obtained a search warrant to take swabs from under his fingernails.

Police said the death was ruled a homicide, but the medical examiner's office was waiting for toxicology test results after an autopsy was inconclusive. The results could take days.

Brooks is the son of 'You Light Up My Life' writer Joseph Brooks (72), who is himself awaiting trial for rape.

Cachay (33), wearing a black top and underwear, was found submerged in the oval tub, face up, after hotel staff noticed the ceiling below her room was leaking. She had red marks around her neck and a bite mark on her hand, investigators said.

A bottle of prescription pills was found in the room, but no illegal drugs were found.

Before the body was found, Brooks was seen leaving the hotel, then returning and leaving again. Police said he told investigators he ran into a friend in the lobby and the two left to get drinks. He returned at around 3.30am to find police in the room.

Cachay lived in an apartment in Manhattan's West Village and had a membership to the Soho House, an exclusive club frequented by celebrities. That meant she had access to the rooftop pool where Sex And The City episodes were filmed and could rent one of the 24 guest rooms at a discount.

The hotel has hosted stars including Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and David Beckham and his wife Victoria.

Cachay and Brooks had been dating for about six months and investigators said some of her friends told them he was erratic. The two began dating after Cachay's poodle was hit by a car and killed, said her mother Sylvia.

"He helped her through all this process, and they became boyfriend and girlfriend," she said. "Sylvie always had this idea of helping people and I think this boy needed help in directing his life."

But on a family holiday in Cancún two weeks ago, Cachay told her mother the relationship was over.

Cachay grew up with dual citizenship, splitting her time between Peru and the US. She graduated from university with a degree in design and worked for Victoria's Secret, leaving in 2006 to start a swimsuit collection. But she was working at fashion houses again after the economy collapsed and she lost her backing.

Brooks' father is on bail accused of raping 11 women he allegedly lured to his apartment with the promise of a starring role in a film. He has pleaded not guilty. He won the Oscar for Best Original Song for the 1977 ballad 'You Light Up My Life', and wrote and directed the film of the same name.